The book
The book is divided into 120 volumes and consisted of about 600,000 words. The compilation of writings had based on many previously astrological and divination materials, and probably a similar classic known as the ''Yisizhan'', compiled by Li Chunfeng approximately in 645. It incorporated many fragments works, including the star catalogues of Shi Shen and Gan De, and contained a translated version of Navagraha calendar under the chapter of 104. The astronomical table of by the and , Aryabhata, were also translated into the ''Kaiyuan Zhanjing''.
The manuscript had started to fade away in copies since the 10th century, but was over again received a special attention by scholar Cheng Mingshan in 1616 and was later included in the Siku Quanshu collections of the 18th century.